Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Wins Upper House of Parliament Polls

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s political coalition has won the partial legislative election to the upper house of Parliament, though it failed to secure the number of seats needed to push forward the constitutional reform it was hoping for, according to results released on Monday. Japanese citizens had voted on Sunday to elect half of the House of Councillors, whose member serve for six-year terms and have fewer legislative functions than members of the House of Representatives, of which Abe is a member.

The result leaves Shinzo Abe with a clear majority in both houses of Parliament, following a landslide win in the lower house in 2017. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 71 of the 124 seats in the 245-member House of Councillors in the Sunday polls, according to public broadcaster NHK. However, he failed to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution — a signature goal for which Shinzo Abe has set a 2020 deadline. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) — the main opposition body — won 53 seats. (IANS)

Also Read: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Calls For Action From G20